Too Close For Comfort
by Clumsy Clicker
Summary: Just another one-shot with Danny and Vlad.  Vlad and Danny get caught in a rather tight spot.  You'll see what I mean…  Lots of humor, a little bit of friendship along with hints of Father/Son. And as always, witty banter and clever remarks.  Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1 Too Close For Comfort

**Summary: Just another one-shot with Danny and Vlad. No real point, just me practicing my writing. Danny and Vlad get caught in a rather tight spot. You'll see what I mean…**

**P.S. Both Vlad and Danny are in there ghost forms throughout this entire one-shot, so please do not be confused if I alternate between calling our favorite fruitloop, Vlad AND Plasmius, and your favorite ghost boy, Danny AND Phantom. Thank you!**

**Too Close For Comfort**

"Vlad…" The voice was faint and weak, barely a whisper but the older halfa heard it instantly in the hallow silence.

Plasmius sighed softly. "I'm right here Daniel." The vampiric ghost placed a gloved hand on the ghost boy's shoulder trying to reassure him as well as keep him still. The ghost had a sinking feeling that he knew what would happen should the boy try to get on his feet.

"What happened?" Danny asked blinking his bright neon green eyes in the darkness.

"Your father happened." Plasmius replied in distain his grip on Danny's shoulder tightening just a bit.

"It wasn't his fault! If you hadn't-" The young phantom tried getting to his feet only to be held down by the other half ghost.

"Calm down Daniel!" Vlad ordered as he quickly shoved the boy back down before he could get up. "And stay down or we'll _both_ regret it!"

Phantom snapped his head up only to find two glowing red eyes boring holes into him. He glared back defiantly at those solid red eyes. "You're not the boss of me."

Danny heard Vlad sigh dramatically, sure that the older hybrid was rolling his eyes. "I know it goes against your nature but please don't be so difficult, just this once. I'd rather not be crushed by your impulsive stupidity." Ohhhh, bad move Plasmius. You should've stopped while you were ahead.

"MY WHAT? !" Phantom pushed up with all his might jumping to his feet. He would've confronted the pompous jerk too if the walls around him hadn't rushed in pushing and crushing him into the man in front of him.

"Ahh!" Danny struggled to push away from the firm chest in front of him but the wall behind him wouldn't give. "Plasmius MOVE!" He shouted still trying to push the other halfa away but to no avail.

"I CAN'T!" Vlad shouted back. "I told you not to move! Quit struggling! You're only making it worse!" Danny continued to squirm against him but only for a moment until he realized it was indeed useless.

"Can't you back up just an **inch**!" Danny said in frustration.

"I don't know if you've noticed but there's a WALL behind me." Vlad replied equally annoyed. "Daniel will you _please_ stop pushing on my ribcage! It's not going to make me move!"

"I can't help it! You're stepping on my foot!"

"It's not my fault you're oversized boots take up so much room!"

"Ah! Something just touched my shoulder!"

"It was me! I'm trying to shift you more to the right so I won't be on your foot and so _you'll_ stop kneeing me in the thigh!"

"Well stop it! It feels weird!"

"Stop being such a child!"

Vlad finally managed to move the squirming phantom so that the two were no longer bruising each other but were carefully pressed against each other painlessly which in a way made it even more awkward.

The ghost boy sighed in annoyance as he laid his head against the older hybrid's chest having no other choice.

They were trapped. Trapped inside the Fenton Thermos, courtesy of Jack Fenton.

_Trapped with Plasmius. Hooray for me…_

"This is just great. Stuck in a tight place with my arch-enemy." Phantom grumbled.

"Well don't blame me." Plasmius grumbled right back, his arms and hands pressed against the walls around them to keep from touching the boy anymore than he had too. "This is all your father's doing. And _yours_." He admitted sending a hint of anger in Danny's direction.

"_Me_? What did I do?" The ghost boy asked irritated.

"You attacked me for no reason!"

"You were in my parents' lab! What did you expect me to do? ! Invite you upstairs for a drink? !" Plasmius' eyes flashed red at the sarcasm in Danny's tone.

"I didn't expect you to be in your parents' lab at all." The man admitted keeping his face turned away.

"Obviously." Phantom muttered rolling his eyes. His eyes suddenly widened as he looked up and demanded, "And why were you trying to hold me down like that? !"

"To try and prevent this from happening!" Plasmius said glaring at the boy though it hurt his neck slightly to look straight down at him. "Once you stood up the thermos conformed to the amount of space it needed to hold us. Just enough space to keep us contained and ghost containment isn't made for comfort."

"You mean it can change how much room it has inside?" Danny asked his tone quickly changing from anger to curiosity.

"Of course." Vlad said calmly. "How else did you think this tiny thermos could hold up to 30 ghosts? It changes its width according to however much space it needs or however much space it _doesn't_ need. And in our case it doesn't need that much, at least not when we're _standing_." He glared down at the boy suggestively.

"Oh…" Danny muttered looking away. "How was I suppose to know all that?"

"I didn't expect you to know." The older halfa said coolly. "But if you had listened to me-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it!" The little phantom snapped. "This is all my fault and you had nothing to do with it! Happy? !"

"Peachy." Vlad said sarcastically. "Just how long do you think Jack is going to leave us in here?"

"I dunno. When Jazz sucked me into the thermos I was stuck in here for two hours."

"Jasmine sucked you into the thermos?" Plasmius asked his tone highly amused.

"Yeah, that was back when she wanted to be part of our "_ghost hunting team_"." Danny rolled his eyes at the memory. "She really needs to work on her aim, and her witty banter."

Vlad chuckled lightly causing his chest to bounce gently against Danny's cheek. The ghost boy had to bite his lip to keep from smiling.

"Somehow I don't find that hard to believe." The vampiric ghost admitted with one last chuckle. "And it took her two hours to figure out how to free you?" He grinned unintentionally showing his fangs.

"Yeah well, Jazz wasn't use to ghost equipment and everything."

"Perhaps, but I really believed Jasmine would've been smarter than that." Plasmius sighed. "I guess that means it'll take even longer for _Jack_ to figure it out."

"Let's just hope he doesn't take us to my mom. Then we'll really be in trouble." Phantom said seriously, his body tensing against the other hybrid's.

"Why? What do you think she would do with us?"

"I'd rather not think about it. But speaking of my mom," Danny looked up, quickly changing the subject. "You did know she wasn't home, didn't you?"

"Does it matter?" Vlad said offhandedly. "It wasn't like I was stopping by for a visit after all. But since you brought it up," the man forced his voice to sound uncaring. "Where is your mother right now?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Danny gave a cocky smirk.

Plasmius glared down at the boy for a second until a wicked grin played across his lips.

"Ahhh!" Danny shouted in surprise as a quick yet painful volt of electricity shot through his body.

"Oops, did I do that?" Plasmius smirked widely. "So sorry my boy."

"Very funny Plasmius." Danny said flatly until a smirk appeared on his face as well. "But two can play at this game. I sure hope subzero temperatures don't bother you Uncy Vlad." Danny said in that falsely sweet tone of his. "I know I don't mind them." An icy blue mist soon started to surround the young phantom from head to toe.

"Daniel wait!" Vlad shouted urgently, panic written all over his features. "If you use your ice powers in here you could freeze the entire thermos closed! Then we will be trapped in here!"

The blue mist faded almost instantly along with Danny's smirk.

_So Plasmius can use his powers in here but I can't. Great._

"Fine." Danny muttered.

The two were silent for a while, both avoiding each others gaze.

"So, how is school going?"

"What do you care?" Danny snapped determined to stay angry at the man. "Aren't you still checking on my grades, stalker."

Vlad rolled his eyes. "I'm just trying to be conversational."

Danny's anger faded a little at the honest reply. "I'm doing ok." The teen replied feeling a little awkward about discussing his grades with his arch-nemesis while they pressed together like sardines. "I'm only getting a D in math but I have Bs and Cs in everything else. I'm getting by."

"Have you been getting enough sleep?"

Phantom stared up at Plasmius suspiciously but the older halfa still had his face turned away. "Yeah, I've been getting plenty of sleep. Why?"

Vlad simply nodded. "Just wondering." Of course he knew the boy was lying though. The billionaire often stayed up long into the night due to his insomnia or simply having work to attend to and during these nights the man would some times "_check up_" on the little hybrid for curiosity sake.

The man still had hidden cameras in most of the rooms at the Fenton's house including Daniel's room and all too often the older halfa would watch only to find the boy dragging himself into his bedroom at ungodly hours in the morning and pass out on his bed still fully dressed in the clothes he had worn all day.

Vlad once even stayed up till 3:00 in the morning waiting for Daniel to go to bed just to make sure nothing had happened to the boy. When the ghost boy had finally entered his room he was practically crawling on the floor to get to his bed, dry blood covering one of his legs.

How could he _not_ worry about the boy?

Holding back the sigh in his chest Vlad slowly removed his right hand from the wall only to place it on the back of Danny's neck.

"What're you doing?" The ghost boy asked nervously.

"Since we're obviously going to be here for awhile I'd rather not be stretched out against the wall like an animal pelt." Plasmius reasoned allowing his other arm to wrap around Danny's back, his hand resting on the boy's shoulder.

Danny was suddenly glad Vlad couldn't see his face. What was the fruitloop doing? Giving him a hug or something? Whatever the guy was doing it was embarrassing the teen, that's for sure.

"Umm, I know we're kinda stuck together Plasmius, but that doesn't mean we need to get cozy." Phantom said trying to shake off the older halfa's hands but the man wouldn't budge.

"Easy for you to say." The older halfa smirked suddenly. "You seem perfectly comfortable snuggled up against my chest."

"S-Shut up!" Danny felt his cheeks burn hotly. "I don't have a choice!"

Vlad's chest rumbled with laughter again embarrassing the ghost boy even more.

"When we get outta here I'm kicking your but all the way back to Wisconsin." Phantom threatened but Plasmius only smiled.

"I'm sure you will little badger, I'm sure you will." The thermos grew silent again but only for a moment as Vlad absentmindedly started to rub the back of Danny's neck. It was an innocent gesture, something meant to calm or reassure, a habit the man had probably gotten from petting his cat Maddie.

Danny didn't like it.

"Plasmius." The ghost boy growled.

"Hmmm?" The older halfa hummed only able to see the top of the boy's chalk white hair and not the rage boiling underneath.

"Could you please stop doing that. If you want to pet something then go get a cat."

Plasmius' hand stopped rubbing and slowly tightened on the teen's neck. Danny quickly grew tense. Maybe he shouldn't have said that…

"Careful Daniel, keep in mind I can still use my powers in here, _you can't_." Vlad warned as Danny braced himself for another shock of electricity.

But it never came. Instead Vlad simply went back to massaging the boy's neck despite Danny's protest.

It wasn't so much that the gesture made the teen feel uncomfortable. In fact it was the opposite. It was soothing and reminded Danny a little of how his mother use to rub his back when he would sit on her lap. It was kinda nice…

But it didn't last.

The thermos suddenly titled on its side leaving Vlad flat on his back with Danny on top of him. (_Good thing it hadn't been the other way around, Danny would've been crushed_)

"What's happening?" Danny asked, panic evident in his voice.

"Your father must've picked up the thermos." Plasmius nearly growled. Even when Jack wasn't present the idiot still managed to ruin such precious moments for him. "I guess that means we'll be leaving here sooner than we thought." The man continued unsure if he should be grateful or resentful. It wasn't often he got to spend quality time with his little badger after all and he had to take whatever he could get.

"I sure hope you're ready then Plasmius."

Vlad looked down to find a smirking phantom looking straight up at him. The little hybrid's eyes glowing a brilliant green in the darkness. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you won't just have my parents to deal with when we get outta here. I told you I was kicking your blue butt all the back to Wisconsin, and I meant it." Danny's eyes glowed even stronger, his smirk never faltering.

Plasmius gave a wicked, sharp fanged grin. "I'm glad to see you're becoming a man of your word, _little badger_." He taunted rustling the boy's hair as if to mock him even more. "I'm sure you won't disappoint me."

"Oh, no worries there." Phantom agreed.

With the sound of rushing air the top of the thermos started to open. Both hybrids became tense ready to fly out as quickly as possible and escape capture of the two ghost hunters likely waiting for them on the outside.

"Well, it's been fun Plasmius." Danny said quickly positioning himself toward the exit. "But let's _not_ do this again anytime soon."

The vampiric ghost laughed. "Of course Daniel." Vlad agreed a little too calmly for Danny's liking. "Next time I'll simply make sure that _you_ are the only one captured and then I'll bring you back home with me to my castle. We'll be able to spend much more _'quality time'_ there."

"WHAT? !"

The lid of the thermos was suddenly gone and before Plasmius took his leave he gave one last smirk. "Ta for now, _son_." Danny watched in shock as the older halfa slide out from under him flying out of the thermos first.

"VLAD!" The ghost boy yelled after him before shooting out of the thermos like a bullet.

**Sooooo, what do you think? Not bad huh?**

**Yes I know I didn't describe how the two of them got stuck in the Fenton thermos and all that but this was just a one-shot about Danny and Vlad so I just kept it focused on them.**

**I hope you enjoyed this cute one-shot, I had a lot of fun writing especially when the two were yelling at each other in the beginning. *giggles***

**And now you must, REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2 Let's Play a Game

**You all know the drill by now. Just another Danny and Vlad one-shot. You can think of this as just a continuation of "Too Close For Comfort." Looks like Vlad wasn't joking about the whole, "I'm gonna kidnap you so we can spend more quality time together" bit.**

**Let's see what happens!**

**P.S. This chapter was inspired by Kvalificatsia's art work on . It's called "Let's play a game." It's an amazing picture of Danny and Vlad and I just had to write about it! Please feel free to check it out for yourself! **

**Chapter 2: Let's Play a Game**

Danny struggled against the spectral bonds that held his arms behind his back. His legs remained unbound, (thank goodness) but did him little good seeing as he wouldn't have made it far before being captured once more.

"If I could just 'go ghost' then I could get outta here…" Danny whispered as he squirmed in the large almost throne like red chair. He fought with the ropes a bit more trying to will his ghost half to the surface but only felt an elusive cold feeling that made him shiver.

The raven haired teen felt another shudder run down his spine as a haunting chuckle broke through the silence.

"It's no use little badger." Vlad's deep teasing voice come from somewhere behind the teen but Danny couldn't see where. "Those ropes could keep your ghost half restrained all night if I allow them. So you might as well stop struggling and relax." The older halfa's voice was as smooth as silk as if the boy should completely ignore the fact that he was being held against his will and just get cozy.

"Where are you Plasmius? ! Come out where I can see you!" Danny called out swallowing his fear as the vampiric specter remained out of sight.

"There's no need to shout dear boy." Vlad's voice came from above him. Danny snapped his head up to find a smirking Plasmius looking down at him. The vampire like hybrid was leaning against the side of the chair completely at ease, his pearl white fangs gleaming in the darkness as the flickering light from the glowing fireplace made his blood red eyes smolder with intense delight forever burning the image into the teen's mind.

"I'm right here." Plasmius' eyes became half lidded as he reached his hand down to the boy. Danny's heart leapt into his throat as the black gloved hand descended upon his face nearly blacking out his vision until he quickly turned his face away, body tensing up for whatever attack the man had planned.

But the threatening hand merely rested atop his head gently ruffling the soft black strands, an action that made the ghost boy tense up even more as his cheeks turned dark pink.

Danny listened to Plasmius chuckle low and sinister before feeling the halfa remove his hand and watched the man move till he was standing in front of him. The younger halfa glared at the man with all his might refusing to let his fear show.

Was he scared? Oh. Yeah.

The teen couldn't remember a time when the older halfa had seemed so dangerous, so _menacing_…

Plasmius was now standing before the giant fireplace, shadows dancing across his face making his sharp features look sinister as the shadow of his form stretched across the room laying a blanket of darkness over the ghost boy.

Danny sat in the man's shadow wishing more than anything that his eyes would start to glow. Anything to make him seem more intimidating than the cornered animal he felt like.

"What do you want Plasmius?" The little hybrid demanded after a moment of silence.

"What do I want?" Plasmius echoed in an innocent voice arching one eyebrow knowing it would make the boy's blood boil. "I would think that answer should be obvious to you by now Daniel."

"Right, because everything you do makes complete sense." Danny replied sarcastically, leaning back in the soft chair. Vlad merely smirked knowing exactly where the boy's attitude was coming from. It probably didn't make much sense to Daniel why the man had suddenly snuck into his room in the dead of night and had blatantly kidnapped him for no apparent reason.

But there was a reason. It was however a very simple reason mind you, and simple reasons, obvious as they are, tend to go unnoticed.

"Put some thought into it my boy." Plasmius said calmly, smirk still in place. "I'm sure you'll come to find that all of my actions do make complete sense. Everything I do is for a reason."

"Yeah, selfish reasons." Danny snapped back. "I don't want to know what goes on in that blue head of yours Plasmius, I just wanna go home!"

"And do what? Play some more of those mind numbing video games you teenagers love so much?" The scarlet eyed ghost drawled.

Danny was suddenly glad it was dark in the room as he felt his face heat up. Seeing as luck was never on his side the teen just so happened to be playing "Space Crafter 2" right at the moment of Plasmius' unwelcomed visit.

_Of course he's going to throw _**that**_ in my face._

"That's just one of the many problems with your generation I suppose." Plasmius continued with a sigh. "Wasting all your time playing games when you should be studying or perhaps even more importantly, _sleeping_."

"I bet you would've loved that." Danny stated with a glare, all embarrassment gone. "It wouldn't have been too hard to kidnap me if I had been asleep after all." The teen said with venom.

"Daniel," Plasmius chided in a gentle teasing voice. "It wasn't hard to kidnap you while you were _awake_." The ghost boy growled but the vampiric ghost only smiled. "I suppose it's all for the best though. You see, I just going to bring you here while you were asleep,"

"_Kidnap_ me while I was asleep." The teen corrected but Vlad easily ignored it.

"And let you sleep through the night. But seeing as you're wide awake," Plasmius' grin widened, his tone setting off alarms in Danny's head. "Why don't we play a game?"

"A game?" Danny asked mentally slapping himself as his fear slipped out in his voice.

"Yes, just a harmless game, or a deal if you will. I'm sure you already know where you are, right little badger?"

Danny blinked at the sudden question but nodded. "Your cabin in the Rockies." It wasn't hard to figure out what with all the familiar animal pelts lining the walls and Plasmius setting him down in the same chair he had sat in the first time he had been tricked to come here with his mom.

"Correct, and just outside is a small section of forest about 10 miles long. It's a rather long distance if you're walking but for someone like _us_, well, it would only take a few minutes to fly through it."

"So…"

"So we have a race."

"A race?" Danny smirked. "A race between _you_ and _me_?"

"Who else my boy?"

Danny couldn't believe his luck! When it came to ghost powers Vlad always had the upper hand, but _flying_. The ghost boy knew he had the older halfa beat there. Last time he was here with Uncy Vlad he could reach a speed of 112 miles per hour. But NOW, now he could fly a little over _200_ miles per hour!

There was NO WAY the old man could beat him in a race!

_Maybe I will get outta here by tonight!_

"Deal!" Danny said instantly, smiling from ear to ear.

"Deal?" Plasmius repeated clearly shocked the boy would agree so quickly and without hassle.

"Yup, you're on Plasmius. And if I win this race I get to go home. TONIGHT."

"Fair enough." The man shrugged. "However, should the odds not be in your favor and you lose…" The older halfa's voice drifted off as he stepped closer to the bound teen leaning down until they were face to face. Plasmius grabbed Danny's chin in a tight grip forcing the boy to hold his gaze as his eyes poured into soft blue ones.

"Then you stay here with me for one week. A full seven days and nights. Agreed?"

Danny gulped, more than a little nervous. Those were some pretty high stakes…

_But does it really matter? It's not like he's going to win right?_

Feeling a little more confident Danny smirked even as Vlad held his face. "Agreed. Get ready to lose fruitloop."

A feral grin spread across Plasmius' face making him look more dangerous than ever. Danny almost wished he hadn't added the whole, 'Get ready to lose' thing but he forced himself to stay confident.

Ah, the defiance in those eyes. That cocky attitude. Vlad loved it all. The older hybrid knew all too well how fast Danny could fly and in a fair race knew he couldn't beat the boy.

But who said anything about the race being fair? Tonight Vlad's little badger was about to learn a very important lesson, and that was:

Now matter how hard the boy might try, no matter how sure Danny was of himself,

_**He**_ would always be one step ahead.

_**He**_ would always come out on top.

And the boy, naïve as he was, had already agreed to the game without even hearing the rules first! Foolish boy!

"Very well then," Plasmius released the boy and stood up proud and tall as if he had already won the game. "Allow me to go over the rules and then we can go outside and begin."

"Rules?" Danny asked his eyes becoming as big as saucers.

_Darn it! I knew there had to be a catch! There always is with Vlad!_

"Of course my boy, every game has rules, even races. You didn't really believe there wouldn't be any in our case, did you?" Plasmius sneered down at the teen.

Too panicked to be angry Danny started to stutter, "B-But that's,"

"Rule number 1:" The ghost began cutting off the boy's stammer. "Since we will be using our ghost powers to fly through the forest it only seems natural that we should also be allowed to use our other powers to hinder each or get ahead."

"WHAT? ! But that's not-"

"Secondly," The more experienced halfa said sharply cutting the teen off once more. "The only way either of us wins this race is if we reach the end of the forest before the other does. Do you understand Daniel?" Plasmius leaned down again, his face suddenly serious. "The only way you win this game is if you get to the end of the forest before me, if you don't, you lose. **No exceptions**."

"I understand." Danny replied in a quiet whisper the other ghost's serious demeanor worrying him slightly.

"Excellent." Plasmius said happily clapping his gloved hands together, all traces of sternness gone. "Let's go outside and start then, shall we?" The ghost grinned as he easily reached behind the boy and undid the ropes.

XXXX Line Break XXXX

Phantom took in a deep breath of cool night air, a gentle wind blowing around him and running through his snow white hair like soothing fingers. Floating at the edge of the forest Danny's glowing green eyes looked deeply into the woods trying to map out a clear route through the thick trees.

Now that he was here everything suddenly felt surreal. The clear starry night, the echo of an owl in the distance, Plasmius floating just a few feet to the left of him.

_Just stay clam Fenton. Plasmius might be able to use his ghost powers but you're still faster. Just stay ahead of him and keep flying no matter what he throws at you. You can do this._

"Ready Daniel?" Plasmius said lightly drawing the ghost boy back to reality. "Or do you need another minute to collect yourself?" He added mockingly.

"You wish." Phantom snapped back. "I'm ready whenever you are." The ghost teen said straightening his back and crossing his arms. "But are you sure _you_ don't need another minute Plasmius?" The ghost boy smirked cockily. "Might be hard for a guy _your_ age to catch his breath during a race, and I don't plan on giving you a head start."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about me if I were you little badger." Plasmius smirked right back. "I'm not the one who's going to need to 'catch his breath' and I don't plan on giving you a head start either. Now, if you're really ready…" Plasmius leaned down looking ready to strike.

Danny leaned down as well, all the muscles in his body tensing up, getting ready to dart into the trees.

"On the count of three. One,"

Phantom could feel his heart hammering against his ribcage as he held his breath.

"Two,"

_Whatever you do, DON'T. LET. HIM. WIN!_ A voice shouted in his head just before Plasmius said-

"Three!"

With a sudden burst of wind the little hybrid took of like a shot not daring to look behind him! A mantra of, "_FASTER! FASTER!"_ screaming in his head.

For the first 60 seconds there was nothing. Nothing but the sound of rushing wind all around him and for one fleeting moment the little Phantom chuckled.

_I knew the fruitloop couldn't keep up._

"AHH!" Danny cried out in shock, his heart nearly jumping out of his chest as a blast of ecto-energy came crashing down from the sky missing him by inches and hitting a tree sending splinters flying.

The ghost boy looked up still flying at full speed and through the leaves saw the unmistakable form of Plasmius flying just above the tree tops. Phantom growled under his breath willing himself to go faster.

_Of course he would take the easy way out and fly _**above**_ the trees!_

Danny cried out in surprise as more blasts came down but managed to dodge each one darting and winding through the trees. Flipping his body around till he was flying on his back and facing the sky Phantom sent some of his own ecto-blasts up to the older halfa and smiled when he heard the ghost cry out.

_Direct hit! And he thinks I'm wasting my time playing video games!_

"You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that Plasmius!" The younger hybrid shouted up mockingly. The teen was about to shout something else when a blast of energy hit him in the side making him collide with a tree.

"Uhhh," Phantom groaned getting on his knees. The ghost boy looked up in shock to see a smug Plasmius fly up to him and stop merely to gloat.

"You really need to stop being so naïve little badger." The vampiric ghost tsked shaking his head. "That was merely a duplicate I used to slow you down until I caught up to you. I'm impressed at how quick you were in the beginning Daniel but seeing you be hindered so easily is a bit disappointing." Plasmius sighed laying it on thick. "I suppose defense will be the first thing we focus on this week."

Feeling his cheeks heat up in anger Phantom jumped to his feet and shouted, "Shut up Plasmius! I'm not doing this to impress you! And in case you haven't noticed the race isn't over yet!"

"No, but it will be soon enough." The man grinned wickedly, fangs sharp as needles. "Ta!" The older halfa took off speedily as Phantom followed right behind him in a flash.

_I should've seen that coming!_ The ghost boy scolded himself. _I need to think of something that will keep Plasmius busy or he'll just keep using his powers to slow me down! I can't duplicate like him, that'll take too much energy. And there's too many trees to get a clear shot at him now that he's in front of me._

_Arg! Think! What can I use? !_

"Still back there, Daniel?" Plasmius called back mockingly, turning to fly on his back while folding his arms beneath his head as if he were relaxing. Phantom glared heatedly, his eyes glowing brightly as he watched the older hybrid turn intangible and simply fly through the trees rather than dart around them.

_I'm such an idiot! Plasmius said we could use _**all**_ our powers and I've been flying around the trees for the past five minutes when I could've been flying _**through**_ them!_

Phantom's rage flew now feeling angrier with himself than with Plasmius. He could feel his eyes burning to the point of shooting lasers from them until a burst of freezing energy sprung from his chest, an icy vapor pouring out of his lips.

His eyes were no longer growing an electric green but an icy blue.

_Oh right! Ice powers, duh!_

Using both hands Phantom shot out his ice energy freezing at least seven trees before hitting his target. It was worth it though to hear Plasmius yell out in pain and watch him fall to the ground, his body frozen from the waist down.

"What's the matter Plasmius?" Phantom asked cheekily floating above the half frozen ghost. "Not getting cold feet are you?"

"You little rat." Plasmius hissed obviously not happy at losing his first place position.

"You're resorting to name calling now?" The ghost boy asked sounding hurt. "That's not very nice. You did say we could use _all_ our powers, didn't you Uncy Vlad?" He asked innocently.

Plasmius suddenly became eerily calm, smiling as if he were half impressed. "Yes, I did say that. You can use all your powers, and I can use all of mine."

"Mm-hm." Phantom hummed with a nod of his head. "And for as much as I'd like to stick around and watch you thaw out Plasmius, I have a race to win." The ghost boy flew off leaving the older halfa behind his sights set on the finish line.

"I'm almost sorry it had to come to this. Well, almost…" Vlad whispered to himself with a sly grin as he easily blasted off the ice from his lower half.

Danny smiled letting out a sigh of relief. He was only three miles away from winning the race and Plasmius was nowhere in sight.

"Maybe next time Plasmius will think twice before-" Phantom's sentence was stopped short as he felt something strange pulling him back into the forest forcing him to a stop. The young hybrid tried to pull away from the magnetic force but it was as unyielding as gravity, demanding that the little ghost come back into the woods.

"Ahhhh!" Danny flew forward with all his might only to be stuck in mid air like a fly caught in a spider's web. Glancing over his shoulder to see what possible force could be so strong the teen gasped.

There in the center of the forest was a 30 foot high tornado spinning wildly, pulling up whole trees by the roots with ease. Oddly enough the tornado looked somewhat purple giving it a ghost like quality.

It was Vlad, naturally. The more experienced ghost was now using the full extent of his power to win even if it meant tearing up the entire forest in the process. And it was working.

With an almost inaudible gasp Phantom was whipped back like a rubber band and in the blink of an eye found himself swirling around in the powerful winds like a rage doll. Thankfully though the older halfa's goal wasn't to tear him apart and the strong winds quickly died down to nothing leaving the ghost boy on the forest floor gasping for breath.

With his limbs shaking and feeling like jelly the ghost boy changed back into Danny Fenton unwillingly.

"So Daniel," An all too familiar voice broke the silence as Plasmius stood over the gasping boy with a smug smile. "What was that you were saying about having a race to win?"

"You dirty rotten," Danny rasped angrily still unable to pull himself to his feet.

"Ah, now _you're_ resorting to name calling." Plasmius chided getting down on his knees as he spoke. "I understand how you feel my boy but I think you were right, it is a bit childish isn't it? Just accept your defeat with dignity and maturity Daniel, it'll be much easier for the both of us."

"No." Danny grunted as he pushed himself up on his elbows ignoring the pain and the fact that his face was now inches away from Vlad's. "The race isn't over yet. You still h-haven't won."

At this Plasmius threw back his head and laughed, he honestly laughed as if this whole game had been one big joke.

"You still haven't figured it out yet have you little badger?" Plasmius laughed ruffling the boy's hair despite the murderous glare Danny gave him.

"W-What're you talking about?" The ghost boy demanded struggling to even stay on his elbows.

"I'm saying that this was never about me _winning_, just you _losing_." Plasmius smiled at the confusion on the teen's face before saying, "You should have paid closer attention to the rules Daniel, I practically spelled it out for you. The deal was that in order for you to go home you had to reach the end of the forest before I did and if you didn't you lost and you had to stay here as we agreed? Don't you see?"

Plasmius paused hovering over the already wide eyed boy. "I never had to win the race to get you to stay here. I didn't even have to _finish_ the race. The deal was that you could only go home if you won, but _I_ didn't have to win in order for you to stay. I just had to make sure you didn't reach the end before me, which honestly, with my powers wasn't hard at all. Your speed had nothing to do with it, you merely thought it did."

"B-B-But that's not fair!" Danny cried his head practically spinning with shock and fatigue. "That means there was no way I could win at all!"

"Exactly." Seeing the boy near fainting Plasmius scooped up the exhausted teen in his arms and said, "I'm sure you must be devastated right now and quite possibly very angry but there was a lesson behind all of this." Danny's head began to tilt back, being too tired to even hold his head up and so Vlad pulled him closer to his chest letting the boy rest his head in the crook of his neck.

Danny could feel sleep overtaking him even as the man continued speaking but just before passing out he heard Plasmius say in a surprisingly gentle voice, "But I suppose we can talk about all that in the morning. For now get some sleep, you did very well."

**Soooooo, what do you think? Not quite what you were expecting huh? Oh and if you're wondering why Vlad is a little more on the evil side you can blame my friend.**

**She was reading my other Danny Phantom stories and she was all like, "Why do you keep making Vlad so nice all the time? ! He's the villain and he's creepy! You need to make him more sinister! It makes the story more believable!"**

**Then I was like, "You're just saying that cause you like rich, creepy villains!"**

**Then she was like, "No I don't! I like mean, creepy, vampire like villains! You need to make Vlad more like that! It makes the story more fun to read!"**

**SO long story short after we ranted like that for awhile I decided to take her advice and make Vlad a little scarier. And for her sake it better get me some good reviews!**

**And naturally this has become a story so please feel free to give me suggestions and all that. Thank you~!**


	3. Chapter 3 Rude Awakenings

**Why do I still do this little intro? Oh yeah, to thank all of you for your wonderful reviews~! Thank you so much! It gives me loads of encouragement!**

**And now onto chapter 3! Let's see how Danny reacts when he wakes up to find that race wasn't a dream.**

**Chapter 3: Rude Awakenings**

Danny woke up with a groan, his head feeling two times heavier than it should have. Sunlight was pouring into the room and birds could be heard outside singing and chirping happily. So Danny, like any other teenager, buried his face deeper into his pillow refusing to get up.

"It can't be morning already." The young halfa moaned pulling thick blankets over his head until only tuffs of black spikes were visible. Danny _really_ didn't wanna get up. And for 3 good reasons:

Number 1. It felt like someone had hit him in the head with a sledgehammer.

Number 2. It was Monday.

And number 3. It was Monday, which meant he had to go to school.

The raven haired boy forced his eyes open as he remained under the covers.

_That's weird…_

It was surprisingly dark under the blanket, a fact that made the teen's brow furrow. Normally when it was sunny the light would easily pass through Danny's thin blanket making him squeeze his eyes shut as he stubbornly tried to go back to sleep. Now it was almost as dark as night.

But still being tired Danny shrugged it off and pressed his face farther into his pillow. He smiled to himself. He couldn't remember a time when his pillow had ever felt so full and fluffy… Even his mattress felt softer…

_Wait a minute._

Danny's eyes shot open, he jolted up in bed throwing the blankets off his body as his thoughts began to race and-

**Race**. The word sprang to Danny's mind and he groaned loudly as his eyes confirmed his fear.

He was in a bedroom, but certainly not his own. Polished wood made up the walls of the room along with two large windows, their curtains pulled to one side giving the sunlight free entry. Just beside the bed he was still sitting on was a small bedside table made out of a slightly redder wood than the walls and in the corner of the room sat another much larger dresser most likely filled with expensive clothes that was just his size.

"So it wasn't just some crazy dream." Danny muttered rubbing his aching forehead. The teen slowly pushed himself to the edge of the bed when he glanced over at the little dresser and saw there was a note sitting on it. Grumbling under his breath Danny snatched the note.

It read:

_Good morning Daniel. I trust you slept well. In the mahogany dresser are several sets of clothes for you, please get dressed and meet me in the kitchen for breakfast when you're ready. I'm sure you're already wondering what I have planned for you this week so the sooner we sit down and talk the sooner you'll know._

_I also wish to congratulate you on how well you did last night._ (Danny lightly snorted at this) _Although you may not have won, which as I said last night was impossible from the beginning, you still showed a fair amount of skill and resourcefulness which I'll be helping you improve on throughout the week._

_Who knows, perhaps by the time the week is out you will be able to beat me!_ (The ghost boy growled, his eyes flashing green as he practically heard Vlad's mocking tone through the written words) _Speaking of which_, the letter went on. _I'm sure you're still upset about how our little game turned out but I must ask you not to take it out on any of the furniture._

_It would be very childish to throw such a tantrum and I'll be sorely displeased if you do._

_-Vlad_

"I'm not going to throw a tantrum just because I lost. You cheated anyway, pompous jerk…" Danny said aloud as he crumbled the letter into a ball. "Well, at least he didn't-" The teen's voice was cut short by a gasp as he realized something truly terrifying.

He was no longer wearing his usual T-shirt and jeans as he was last night. Instead he was dressed in a pair of navy blue silk pajamas which could only mean one thing!

Vlad had changed him!

XXXX Line Break XXXX

Sitting at a table in the kitchen Vlad waited patiently for Danny to arrive wondering if he should check on the boy to see if he was awake yet. But when the unmistakable sound of a certain little halfa's scream echoed through the halls Vlad knew his little badger was already wide awake.

"VLAD!" Danny yelled at the top of his lungs as he burst through the kitchen doors. "WHAT DID YOU DO? !"

The older halfa ignored him for a moment, reading the large newspaper in his hands and taking a sip of his coffee before answering. "Good morning to you too my boy. Did you sleep well?" Vlad asked cool as a cucumber, his eyes still on the paper.

"Don't give me any of that! What did you do? !" Danny repeated, his cheeks flaming out of embarrassment and anger.

This time Vlad looked at the boy, giving him a quizzical look. "Well I don't believe I've done much of anything this morning Daniel."

"Not today! Last night! Why did you change my clothes? !" The teen demanded.

"Oh that." Vlad waved a dismissive hand turning his attention back to the newspaper. "Well I couldn't simply leave you in your other clothes now could I? They were all dirty and torn, and you wouldn't have slept comfortably in them. It was only logical to change you into something cleaner. But rest assured I did nothing more, there's not a thing different about you." The billionaire paused to take another sip of his coffee.

"There better not be!" Danny snapped wondering if he should believe the man.

"There isn't. Now why don't you go back to your room and get changed while I start breakfast." Vlad suggested but Danny knew it was more of an order. "You did see the note I left you, didn't you?"

"Yeah I saw it, and don't worry I didn't throw any temper tantrums. The room is still in one piece." The teen replied sarcastically folding his arms across his chest.

"Good, now hurry along." Vlad waved his hand as if to shoo the boy out of the room. "We've got a big day ahead of us!" He half smiled, half smirked.

Danny growled seeing no other option but to listen to the man. He stomped out of the room hearing Vlad's muffled laughter behind him.

Back in his room, or um, in _the_ room, Danny searched through the large dresser for something close to his usual attire. Admittedly all the clothes were ok. Not too formal or dressy but still not quite as baggy and lay back as the teen's normal white T-shirt and pants.

"Arg, the heck with it." Danny huffed as he threw down a random set of clothes on the unmade bed. "It's not like I'm going to be running into anyone I know up here." He said out loud as he started to undress.

The teen let out a quiet sigh of relief as he noticed he was still wearing the same white boxers from the previous day. If Plasmius had changed _that_ particular piece of clothing the ghost boy was sure he would've had a mental break down.

_So now what am I going to do? I can't just stay up here all week. I have school and my parents will think I've been kidnapped._ Danny rolled his eyes. _I _**have**_ been kidnapped, but there's no way they're gonna suspect their old college pal Vlad was the kidnapper. But I made a deal with him. I gave him my word, I can't just go back on it. Can I…?_

Danny thought for a minute as he silently slipped on the new clothes. _Well, I did make it with _**Vlad**_. And it's not like the guy played fair last night. The whole thing was a trap. So why should I hold up my part of the deal?_

The teen angrily pushed his feet through the pants holes as he thought back on the race and all that Vlad had said to him. _Forget it! Deal or no deal, there's no way I'm staying up here a whole week with that fruitloop! But Vlad will probably expect me to run away, he'll be watching me like a hawk. I'll just have to wait until he lets down his guard. But until then…_

Danny smirked as he brushed out the wrinkles on his shirt. _Until then I'm going to get out as much fun from this as I can. I might have agreed to let Plasmius train me, but I never said I would make it easy for him._

The ghost boy glanced down at his clothes and shrugged. He had picked out a pair of light blue jeans, almost the same color as the ones he had back home only these weren't quite as baggy and hugged his form a bit more. The shirt wasn't too bad either. Like the pajamas he had worn it was a midnight blue with short sleeves and had a thinner long sleeved white shirt sown on underneath making it one piece but look like two. Like the pants it too hugged his torso more than his normal shirt.

Walking back towards the kitchen Danny could smell the unmistakable aroma of bacon and eggs floating in the air. Man it smelled good… At least there was one perk to being kidnapped by a rich crazed up fruitloop.

"Ah, perfect timing, the food is just about ready." Vlad stated happily as Danny walked in and took a seat at the table all the while glaring daggers at the man's back. After another minute the man walked over with two glass plates covered with the delicious food. "I sure hope you're hungry little badger, I've made more than enough for the both of us."

Danny opened his mouth to say something sarcastic when his stomach suddenly growled loudly causing him to blush as Vlad stifled a chuckle. "I'll take that as a yes."

"NO." Danny snapped before he could stop himself. It was bad enough that he was stuck here with the cheese head, but why did the guy have to act so darn happy about it? ! It was already getting on his nerves!

"No?" The older hybrid questioned.

"No, I'm not hungry." The teen replied flatly pushing his plate away.

"Your stomach seems to disagree with you then." Vlad smirked.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I was hungry a second ago." Danny said forcing his own smirk to appear. "But then you sat down and I saw your face and my appetite disappeared like _that_." The teen snapped his fingers, a cocky grin on his face.

Vlad scowled, happy demeanor gone. He knew what the boy was trying to do of course but _that_ was a little uncalled for. It was obvious the boy was going to be difficult for him. Oh well. Nothing a little punishment couldn't solve.

"I'd be careful with those snide remarks of yours boy." Vlad spat venomously. "You and I are the only ones within a hundred miles of this place. I can punish you for your insolence any way I see fit and there's no one around to stop me. There's no one you can run to for help."

"Oh yeah?" Danny glared, suddenly feeling much bolder. "What makes you think I'll need anyone's help? Seriously Plasmius, what're you gonna do? Ground me?"

That. Was. A. Bad. Move.

Vlad's chair crashed to the floor as he shot to his feet and without breaking stride phased straight through the table grabbing Danny by the front of his collar.

"I was thinking more along the lines of physical punishment." Vlad hissed in Danny's face raising the boy off the ground with ease. "Or perhaps I should make you eat soap for breakfast? Maybe that will wash out all the sarcasm from your tone."

"Yeah right." Danny replied instantly, a forced smirk back on his face. In his head a voice was screaming at him, _SHUT UP! What're you doing? ! Can't you see he's about to kill you? !_ But Danny's voice continued saying, "I'd like to see you try." _Dude! You are so dead!_

The look in Vlad's eyes confirmed that the voice was right. That last comment was all the challenge Vlad needed. Black rings formed around the man's waist as he morphed into Plasmius and flew straight up threw the ceiling taking Danny with him.

The ghost boy's mind raced as they entered a bathroom and quickly changed into Danny Phantom. The teen used all his strength to kick the man away and managed to get out of his grasp but Plasmius quickly lunged forward and grabbed the little ghost by his ankle holding him back.

"Ah, ah, ah, not so fast Daniel. I'm not finished with you just yet." Plasmius chided waving a finger.

"WHAT? NO! Let go of me Plasmius!" Danny shouted pulling away with all his might. Deep down he really **didn't** want to see his arch-nemesis trying to force a bar of soap in his mouth, or worse, down his throat.

"No, I don't think I will." The vampiric hybrid stated calmly as he dragged the ghost boy over to the sink. "Remember Daniel you brought this upon yourself." Plasmius reached higher grabbing the white haired teen's wrist bringing him down to his level.

"NO WAY!" Phantom all but screamed as he shot an ecto-blast at the other halfa.

Plasmius easily deflected it though with a pink shield and sighed. "Honestly my boy, you're making this much harder than it needs to be." Danny gasped as Plasmius duplicated himself, the doppelganger flying behind him and pinning his arms behind his back. The second Plasmius pushed him down till his feet were on the ground while the real Plasmius searched in the cabinet above the sink for a bar of soap.

"Darn it Vlad! Let go of me already! This is ridiculous!" Phantom cried as he squirmed in the duplicate's grasp desperate to get away.

"The only thing '_ridiculous'_ here is your behavior Daniel." The real Plasmius pointed out calmly still looking in the cabinet.

"Remember little badger, you're the one that said 'I'd like to see you try.' You practically begged us to do this." Duplicate Plasmius whispered in his ear making him shudder forcefully.

"N-No! I didn't mean-"

"Ah! Here it is." The real Plasmius exclaimed revealing a bar of yellow soap in his hand. "Now let's clean out that stubborn mouth of yours. Open wide little badger."

_WHAT? ! He doesn't really expect me to eat that whole thing does he? !_

But Danny wouldn't dare open his mouth to ask and find out. Instead he closed his mouth as tightly as he could, lips forming a straight line.

The duplicate behind him sighed, hot breath filling his ear. "Don't make this any more difficult on yourself." It whispered softly as if to coax the young phantom to open his mouth. "Just be a good boy and open up."

Danny squeezed his eyes shut shaking his head fiercely like a child refusing to take his medicine. Danny heard one the Plasmius' click their tongue in disappointment before a strong hand grabbed his jaw forcing his mouth to open.

_HE'S REALLY GOING TO DO THIS!_

"W-Wait! I'm sorry!" Danny shouted suddenly in desperation. Still keeping his eyes closed the ghost boy was greeted with silence so he quickly continued saying, "I-I'm sorry! I'm really sorry and I won't do it again!"

"Hmmm." The older hybrid hummed in contemplation.

Danny opened his eyes only when he felt the duplicate's hold vanish. He looked up at Vlad with pleading and slightly scared neon eyes. It was clear by the look on Vlad's face that he was thinking it over as he still held the bar of soap in his right hand.

The smaller halfa gulped feeling vulnerable under the glowing red gaze. Tossing aside whatever pride and dignity he had left Danny whispered, "Please Vlad. I'm really sorry."

That did the trick. Plasmius' face softened greatly, an expression that almost mimicked regret as he placed the soap down on the sink. "I suppose I can let this slide just this once since you apologized." The vampiric halfa said gently as he reached out ruffling the boy's snow white hair fondly.

Danny bit his bottom lip trying not to wince or gag or say something angry as Plasmius petted his hair like he was some sort of dog.

_Keep it together Fenton. You just have to gain a little of his trust and as soon as his back is turned you'll be outta here._

"Perhaps now we can go back downstairs and eat breakfast together civilly?" Plasmius asked with an honest smile as he removed his hand.

"Yeah, I think I'd like that." Danny mumbled awkwardly, attempting to get on Vlad's good side as his cheeks burned a little in shame for lowering himself.

Luckily Vlad only smiled and brought them back down to the kitchen. The food was a bit cold then but Danny ate it all without complaint not wanting to test the older halfa's wrath again as one thing became abundantly clear to him-

_This is gonna be a looooonnngg day._

**Ummmm… Was that maybe a little too much? I don't know. And yes this is only the morning and not the whole day. I'm getting to that.**

**Please also let me know if you liked this chapter and if I kept Danny and Vlad in character. I'm not sure how far I wanna push things so your reviews will determine if Vlad stays this sinister or if he lets up a little.**

**I personally like him this way… It's kinda fun to write… I have a dark side.**

**But any who~! Please let me know what you think! Thank you!**


	4. Chapter 4 Self Defense

**YEEEEAAAAH! Finally another update! I hope you all like it!**

**... That's all I have to say. Weird... **

**Chapter 4: Self Defense**

Danny trudged beside Vlad as they walked silently through the trees making their way towards some location only Vlad knew about. The teen was still angry at the older halfa for several reasons: Kidnapping him, cheating in the race, changing him in the middle of the night, and most recently- trying to make him eat soap.

It was that recent incident however that forced the ghost boy to keep his mouth shut despite the fact that they had been walking for at least a half an hour.

"You're very quiet this morning." Vlad said casually, breaking the silence. "Something wrong?"

_Oh nothing, I'm just walking around the forest aimlessly with a fruitloop, that's all_. Danny thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "No I'm alright." He replied not looking at the man.

"Hmm." Vlad hummed thoughtfully. "I just assumed you would've asked where we're going by now."

Danny shrugged his shoulders not offering a reply. Truthfully he was a bit curious about where the man was taking him but not enough to voice it. When Vlad didn't press the issue Danny glanced up at him afraid that his silence might have upset the man. But instead of seeing a scowl of disapproval Danny found Vlad smirking at him.

"What?" Danny snapped a bit more irritably than he would've liked.

Vlad's smirk only widened. "Oh nothing." He replied offhandedly. "I only wanted to compliment you on your choice of attire this morning. It looks quite handsome on you."

"Oh." Danny muttered glancing down at his dark shirt and fitted jeans, blush quickly rising to his face. "Thanks." Out of the corner of his eye Danny could see Vlad smiling but the man said nothing else. After a few moments Danny sighed giving in. "So where are we going?"

"Just to a secluded place where we can train without any interruptions." Vlad explained. "I'm sure there aren't too many people camping out this far but we'll stay away from the trails just to be sure we don't attract any attention. Better safe than sorry, right?" Vlad smiled pushing back a low tree branch out of Danny's way.

"Right." Danny mumbled not really appreciating the gesture. _You just don't want us to run into anyone because I could tell them you kidnapped me, jerk_. The teen thought heatedly. Suddenly a light bulb went on over Danny's head. _Wait a minute!_ "Ummm, Vlad?" Danny started carefully, not wanting to seem to hopeful.

"Yes Daniel?" The older hybrid turned giving the boy his full attention.

"Um, I know our deal was that if I lost the race I had to stay here for a week, but..." Danny paused rubbing the back of his neck nervously. _I have to choose my words carefully..._

"But what little badger?" Vlad asked curiously trying to hold back the amusement in his voice as he already knew where this was going.

"Well, I kinda just left in the middle of the night and so my parents have probably already realized I'm gone. They're probably worried sick." The teen put on his best puppy-dog face, his light blue eyes wide with fear, his voice filled with worry. He really laid it on thick. "If I stay here a whole week my family will be terrified! Especially my mom! She's probably crying her eyes out as we speak!" Danny added, hoping the mention of his mom would appeal to the man if nothing else.

Vlad nodded his head in mock concern trying his hardest not to chuckle. Danny certainly knew how to be dramatic when he wanted to, and all in all he wasn't a bad actor. Especially that face. The look on Daniel's face was as precious as it was priceless. Vlad almost wished he had brought a camera. "Well Daniel as touching as your concern is," Vlad said at length. "You needn't worry about your family wondering where you are. I've already taken care of that."

"You have?" Danny asked, hope sinking.

"Mm-hm." Vlad hummed with nod, wrapping an arm around Danny's shoulders and pulling the teen to his side. "I called your parents last night right after I tucked you into bed and explained everything to them." The man smirked looking quite pleased with himself.

"Really?" Danny scowled, not liking the man's choice of words much less his arm around him. "How'd you pull that off?"

"Simple. I merely told them that you showed up at my doorstep in the middle of the night in an attempt to run away from home."

"YOU WHAT? !" The little halfa shouted so loudly that birds flew out of the trees around them. "Why would you tell them that?! !" The teen demanded shoving the billionaire away.

"Well I certainly couldn't have told them the truth. I would've exposed both of us, you didn't want that did you?" Vlad grinned.

"Y-You, you-" Danny clenched his fists in anger.

"Ah, but you didn't let me finish Daniel." Vlad chided mockingly. "Naturally I invited you in and attempted to console you, but you refused to go back home. The stress of home life and peer pressure had obviously gotten to you and you fell on me bursting into tears."

"WHAT?! ! Y-You actually told them that?! !" Danny shouted in horror.

Vlad nodded. "And after witnessing such a moving display I decided it was best to let you spend the night." The older halfa continued as if reading lines from a book. "It was after telling your parents all this that I suggested taking you to my cabin here in the Rockies to help you clear your head. As a sort of, mini-vacation. I'm sure you can guess what their answer was."

"You monster!" Unable to hold back his anger any longer Danny lunged at the man trying to punch him in the face. But Vlad saw it coming and easily dodged the attack even as Danny kept swinging. "You liar! You planned all this from the beginning! Kidnapping me, cheating in the race, all of it!" Danny swung again but this time Vlad stopped him, swiftly catching the boy's smaller fist in his hand.

"Calm yourself boy." Vlad said icily. "I can understand if you're upset but I won't stand by and allow you to accuse me of things I haven't done."

"What're you talking about?! !" Danny yelled in frustration. "Everything I said was the truth! _You're_ the lair here, not _me_!" The teen used all his strength to try and pull away from the man but Vlad held his hand in a vice grip refusing to let him go.

"Yes Daniel I lied." Vlad stated calmly, his gaze pinning the teen to the spot. "But beings that it's just the two of us I wouldn't act so noble dear boy. As I recall you lie quite often to your parents as well, on a daily basis even."

"T-That's different!" Danny stuttered turning away from the man's piercing gaze. "Besides I don't kidnap people!"

Vlad rolled his eyes but still kept his hold on the boy. "I wasn't referring to that accusation Daniel."

"What are you _'referring to'_ then?" Danny spat sarcastically.

"To your accusing me of cheating in our race of course."

"You did cheat Plasmius." Danny glared.

"Did I?" Vlad quirked an eyebrow.

"You said so yourself!" Danny insisted, finally jerking his hand free from Vlad's grasp. "You said that you knew I couldn't win the race. That was the whole reason you had me agree to it! You just wanted to watch me make a fool out of myself trying to beat you when you knew I couldn't!" Danny's voice carried through the trees, his last few words echoing around them until they faded into silence.

Vlad stared at the teen with wide eyes having not expected that last part. Pinching the bridge of his nose he sighed deeply. "Daniel," the man started, his voice a great deal softer than before. "You heard what I said last night, but you misunderstood me completely. You have so much confused." Vlad shook his head. "Will you at least allow me to explain?"

"Fine." Danny replied in a low voice, unsure what to make of the man's sudden change in behavior.

"There are two things I want to make very clear to you Daniel," Vlad's voice was still gentle but very much serious. "First, I did _not_ cheat in the race last night. I believe I made it very clear when I explained the rules to you that _both_ of us would be allowed to use _all_ our powers in order to win. Since my abilities greatly exceed yours it was obvious to me who would win from the start. But I never cheated. I only made sure to stay one step ahead of you. That was what I was trying to tell you last night. Right before you passed out in my arms." Vlad teased lightly giving a small smirk.

A small blush rose to Danny's cheeks but before he could say anything Vlad continued-

"And if you really are still angry about how our little game turned out then you have only yourself to blame. If you hadn't agreed to it so quickly I might've had a chance to explain the terms of the race more fully and you could've figured out my plan from the beginning. Secondly," Vlad paused lightly, his voice growing gentle once more. "I didn't plan the race as an attempt to try and embarrass you." Vlad stepped closer to the teen placing a hand on Danny's shoulder, his dark eyes softening. "Dear boy, do you really believe I would go to so much trouble in bringing you here with me only to humiliate you?"

Feeling the tiniest peg of guilt Danny looked down at his feet. "Why else would you do it?"

Vlad gently put a finger under the boy's chin slowly lifting Danny's gaze to meet his. "To help you little badger. To teach you how to hone in on your powers so you can better use them in battle. To improve your skills and show you what all you're really capable of. You've showed great potential time and time again Daniel, yet you've only just scratched the surface of what you can do." Letting out a soft sigh Vlad moved his hand from Danny's chin to his forehead brushing the boy's long bangs aside with his finger tips, gaze pouring into baby blue ones. "That's why I did it."

"Oh..." Danny muttered shifting uncomfortably under the man's intense gaze.

Vlad smiled gently. "So now that that's sorted out," The older halfa stated already sounding like his old self. "Shall we get going?"

"Sure." Danny gave a small but honest smile. "How much farther do we have to go anyway?"

Vlad's smile widened. "Only a few more steps."

Danny looked up at the man questioningly but followed all the same when Vlad started walking again. And, true to his word (much to Danny's surprise), the two hybrids soon found themselves out of the trees and along the edge of a large open meadow.

The teen could hardly believe his eyes. The ground was carpeted in long string like grass that would bend and sway effortlessly with each passing breeze. Long stemmed wild flowers of every shade of purple and blue grew together in patches scattered here and there. All in all it was beautiful. So picture perfect that it reminded Danny of a screensaver he once saw on a computer.

"So," Vlad turned to the boy with a smirk, hand gesturing to all that was around them. "What do you think?"

"Ummm, it's..." Danny paused looking around the field. "It's big."

Vlad burst out in laughter causing Danny's face to turn ten shades of red. "Yes, I suppose it is rather spacious." Vlad chuckled walking out to the middle of the field. "I thought it best to use an area with lots of open space. I think it'll work especially well for us today as I want to focus on your defense."

Danny watched as two black rings appeared at Vlad's waist morphing him into Plasmius. Danny's eyes narrowed, instinctively going on the defense as he changed into Phantom as well.

"I'm going to attack you." Plasmius stated bluntly, his red eyes and fanged grin making the words seem all the more threatening. "I want you to defend against my attacks any way you know how without fighting back. Understand?"

Danny could already see the energy forming at Plasmius' hands even as the older halfa spoke. Floating up a few feet into the air the ghost boy nodded, green eyes glowing in determination. "Ready when you are."

The first few minutes of training were relatively easy as Plasmius used the basic powers he normally did to attack Danny. All the teen really had to do was create an ecto-shield or dodge Plasmius' ecto-blasts altogether. Vlad had praised him lightly for this but naturally right after the figurative "pat on the head" Vlad stepped things up a notch.

His attacks became stronger and his movements much swifter. The older halfa's ecto-blasts now broke through Danny's shields like baseballs through a window, pelting the young phantom repeatedly. Simply dodging the attacks quickly became impossible to as one Plasmius turned into three.

After nearly an hour of this (possibly longer) Danny was panting.

_Man! How am I suppose to do this?! ! It's not like defending myself is going to stop his attacks anytime soon! And I can't fight back! What do I do?! !_

"Tired already little badger?" The real Plasmius taunted.

"But we've only just gotten started." One of the duplicates joined in.

"You're not ready to give up are you?" The third asked mockingly.

"You wish." Phantom forced himself to stand tall. "I could do this all day." He said confidently though his lungs were screaming otherwise.

"Glad to hear it my boy." Plasmius grinned. "Because I think it's time we took it up a level."

"Huh?" Danny's eyes widened in horror as all three Plasmius' drew closer, their hands sparking with electricity. _Oh no..._

Without thinking the ghost boy flew out of the field and behind the trees that surrounded it. He knew this was more running away than defending himself but he really, REALLY didn't feel like getting zapped with 30,000 volts of electricity.

Danny winced sharply as he heard the unmistakable sound of lightning striking a tree, wood splintering and breaking from the force.

"Quick thinking Daniel." Plasmius' surprisingly approving voice come out from the field. "Wood doesn't conduct electricity, using the trees as a shield was a good way to improvise."

"Really?" Phantom poked his head out from behind a tree cautiously. "So? This counts?"

"Well, I did tell you to defend yourself any way you knew how so yes, it counts." Plasmius smiled fondly.

"Cool." Danny smiled innocently, happy to catch a break.

"You know Daniel, there is more to defending yourself than just avoiding attacks." Plasmius pointed out suddenly.

"Oh? And what's that?" Phantom asked flying back into the meadow due to the temporary ceasefire.

"To use your defenses in order to win a battle without fighting back." Plasmius answered seriously, calling his duplicates back into place.

Danny let out a scoff. "And how would I do that?"

"By using your enemy's own power against him." Plasmius grinned evilly as if he were already well accustom to using this method.

Danny frowned staring hard at the more experienced ghost. "Let me guess, this is going to be like the _"lesson"_ you taught me last night. The whole, _'I didn't have to win, I just had to make you lose'_ thing. Am I right?" The ghost boy asked sounding less than impressed.

"In some respects yes, it is a little like that." Plasmius smirked at the boy's attitude.

"Great." Danny grumbled.

"Just give it a chance my boy." Vlad said coaxingly, smirk never faltering. "I'm sure if you look back on previous battles with other ghosts you'll find you've already used this technique several times. You simply didn't realize it." Seeing the little phantom's eyes flash defensively Plasmius quickly continued. "And the sooner you try it the sooner this lesson will be over."

"Fine." Danny agreed stubbornly. "What do I have to do?"

Plasmius flew straight up to the teen his face inches away from the boy's, blood red eyes burning into Danny's. "Think about your powers Daniel." Vlad instructed with some unknown intensity. "Think about all you can do with them. Your ecto-blasts, your shields, even your ice core. Now compare them to _mine_. How can you use your powers to stop my attacks? How can you use your powers to redirect mine back to me?"

Danny's eyes widened to the size of saucers quickly catching on. "You mean, _throw_ your attacks back at you?"

Plasmius smiled from ear to ear. "Exactly. Here," The more experienced hybrid grabbed Danny's wrists firmly. "Create an ecto-shield."

Phantom looked at the man questioningly but after a moment did as he was told and began creating a shield allowing Vlad's hands to guide him.

"Stop." Danny did so and was left with a rectangular shaped shield curved up slightly at one end.

"Now what?" Danny asked curiously actually feeling a bit excited at whatever Vlad had planned.

Plasmius smiled at the boy's eagerness. "First things first. This, is no longer a form of shield."

Danny blinked. "It's not?"

"No. You're going to use it for a much different purpose." Without warning Plasmius flew a good fifteen feet away from the ghost boy. "I'm going to shoot an ecto-plasmic energy blast at you and I want you to use that energy" Vlad pointed to the curved sheet of green energy Danny held out in from of him. "To redirect the blast back at me." Plasmius held up his right hand. "Ready?"

Danny glanced nervously at his shield then back at Vlad. "R-Ready."

Plasmius fired and Danny, not knowing what else to do or how to react, swung his shield around like a baseball bat the moment the blast hit him. Spinning his body completely around the ecto-energy clung to Danny's shield until he came to a stop where the energy rolled off the curve of the shield and flew off in the direction it came.

Too bad it didn't hit its target.

The ecto-blast missed Plasmius by what seemed like miles and Danny couldn't help but let out a groan of disappointment.

"Very good Daniel." Vlad praised honestly. "That was quite impressive."

"What're you talking about?" Danny asked angrily, assuming the man was only mocking him. "That wasn't even close."

"Of course it wasn't. That was only your first try." Plasmius replied soothingly, unchanged by the boy's anger. "You only needed to redirect the energy back the way it came. I didn't ask you to aim. That will come later with practice. What matters is that you're learning new ways to use your powers. You're already improving."

"Oh." Danny glanced down at his shield and smiled a little. "I guess I am."

Vlad smirked. "And how do you feel?"

"Honestly? Pretty good." It appeared whatever fatigue Danny had felt earlier was now gone, replaced with a new and exciting high. The teen couldn't explain it, but the feel of Vlad's energy against his own, being able to manipulate it, control it to an extent, was a thrill he had never felt before. He wanted more. "Could you do that again?" Phantom asked straightening his shoulders. "I think I've got the hang of this now."

Plasmius smiled. "If you wish."

And so Vlad fired again. And again. And again. And again. And each time Danny got closer and closer to his mark until-

*WACK* Plasmius caught the ecto-energy in his hand as if it were nothing more than a harmless tennis ball. "Perfect." Vlad whispered in quiet satisfaction.

"ALL-RIGHT!" Danny threw his hands up in the air finally allowing his shield to fade into nothing. "That was awesome!" The ghost boy shouted ecstatically as if he had just hit a winning home run. "And now I can try doing the real thing!"

"The real thing?" Plasmius echoed, dissolving the energy in his hand.

"Yeah, now that I know how to redirect energy I can use it in battle right?" Danny said happily. "Come on," the ghost boy formed another shield as he got into a fighting stance. "Let's fight."

Plasmius chuckled. "While it is nice to see you so eager to train Daniel," the man paused floating back down to the ground before changing back into Masters. "I think that's enough for one day."

"What?" Danny asked feeling more than a little disappointed. "But we just got started!"

"Actually little badger," Vlad paused checking the watch on his wrist. "We've been here for a good three hours."

"S-Seriously?" Danny gaped.

"Seriously." Vlad echoed with a smirk. "Besides, I don't know about you but I'm famished. I think it's about time we got something to eat, don't you agree?"

At the very mention of food Danny's stomach growled loudly. He blushed. "Yeah," the ghost boy agreed floating to the ground and morphing back into Danny Fenton. "Lunch sounds pretty good right now."

"In that case why don't we fly back to the cabin?" Vlad suggested. "It'll be much faster than walking."

"Really? But what about if someone sees us?"

"The chances of anyone even hiking up this way is slim." The billionaire assured. "And we can always turn intangible if we need to."

"Alright." Danny smiled 'going ghost' once more, grateful he wouldn't have to walk the whole way back. "We'll still be able to find our way back flying right?"

"Of course." Vlad replied changing back to his vampiric alter-ego. "Once we're above the forest we'll be able to see the cabin itself."

"Great."

"Oh, and Daniel?"

"Hm?"

"Would you care to have a race back to the cabin?"

Danny started slightly. He stared at the older halfa with wide neon eyes for a moment, clearly unprepared for the question.

Vlad smiled wickedly at the little halfa's expression, fangs flashing unintentionally. "Well?"

After a few moments Danny smirked, eyes glowing brighter. "You're on fruitloop." He challenged confidently. Shooting straight up above the trees the ghost boy shouted quickly, "1, 2, 3, GO!" Then took off like a shot.

"Hey!" Plasmius yelled before flying after the boy. "That little rat." The man mumbled half heartedly and couldn't help but smile. "And he calls _me_ a cheater."

XXXX (Yes this is only a line break, this chappie ain't over yet!)

In the end Vlad did win the race back to the cabin by teleporting just before the ghost boy reached the finish line. Danny had shoved the man playfully afterwards calling him a cheater again and saying that teleporting in a race was unfair as it defeated the whole purpose. The billionaire only laughed in good humor saying it was indeed fair as the younger halfa had given himself a head start.

Within minutes the two hybrids were sitting down at the same table they had for breakfast eating their lunch, (turkey sandwiches), in contented silence much unlike early that day. Truthfully Danny was fairly happy at how things were going so far (not that he would ever admit it) though the fact that he was in reality being held against his will still lingered in the back of his mind. And with all the hype of training slowly wearing off a few annoying thoughts kept coming back up to the surface.

Well, now seemed like as good a time as any to ask them. Swallowing another bite of his sandwich Danny finally voiced his thoughts, although, not very well. "Sooo, I did pretty well today right? You know, with training and everything?" _Real subtle Fenton._ Danny thought silently, mentally face-palming at his own lame choice of words.

Vlad gave him a curious look and smiled. "Yes. I think you made great progress for only one training session Daniel." The man commended, a sense of pride in his voice._ And by the time this week is over you'll have made so much progress you won't want to stop._ The older halfa thought evilly. _Once you've gotten a glimpse of what you can do with your powers you'll only want to know more. You'll crave it, the knowledge, the _**power**_. And in turn I'll be the one you'll look to in order to fulfill that longing. By the time I'm finished with you Daniel, you won't _**want**_ to leave my side._

"And none of that was a bluff right? The training? The confession about the _race_?" Danny hinted suggestively, still suspicious about the man's true motives.

Vlad sighed rolling his eyes. Were they really back to that again? "No Daniel, none of that was a bluff, I assure you."

"So all that really was to help me?" Danny asked not fully believing it.

"Is that really so hard to believe?" Vlad asked pretending to sound hurt.

"Just a little." Danny lifted his cup sipping at his apple juice. "Especially when I think about what you told my parents." The teen glared.

_Ah, so that's what this is about._ Vlad realized now seeing what the teen was truly displeased about. "That really did make you angry, didn't it?" The billionaire sighed but couldn't stop his smile when he thought back on the boy's reaction.

"Well duh!" Danny snapped slamming his cup down with unnecessary force, bits of apple juice falling on his half eaten sandwich. "You made it sound like _I_ was the one who came running to _you_! Last time I checked it was the other way around!"

Vlad glared across the table, something about the teen's choice of words and attitude setting him off inside but he managed to stay composed. "Does it matter either way?" The billionaire asked, a slight edge to his tone. "It was only an excuse after all."

_A lie is more like it_. Danny thought in annoyance but decided not to voice it remembering how Vlad accused him of often doing the same thing.

"Besides," The man went on. "You already know full well that that's not how it happened. So why should it upset you?" Vlad asked reaching for his iced tea.

"Because my parents _don't_ know that that isn't how it happened." Danny slouched down in his chair with a sigh. "I mean, why did you have to tell them I cried? That's so embarrassing and, HEY! Why are you laughing?! !" The ghost boy shouted angrily as he noticed the man chuckling under his breath.

"I'm sorry my boy, truly I am." Laughter came out of Vlad as natural as breath, no longer trying to hold it in as he'd already been caught. "If I had known that was going to be the only thing that upset you I would've changed the story a bit." Vlad chuckled a little more wishing he was close enough to ruffle the boy's hair as a blush rose to Danny's face.

"Ugh, whatever. I guess it doesn't matter now anyway." The little halfa mumbled taking a few large bites out of his sandwich until it was all gone. After taking a gulp of his apple juice Danny quickly asked, "Could I go for a walk?"

"A walk?" Vlad repeated a little shocked at the sudden question.

"Yeah, just to explore a little. You know, take in the scenery?" Danny smiled innocently. He wasn't entirely sure where the impulse came from to go outside or if he would really try to escape should Vlad, hopefully, not decide to join him. Either way the teen did want to explore the outside of the cabin as well as the inside and if it would give him some time away from Vlad in order to plan his next move, (maybe figure out a way back home) then so much the better.

Vlad remained silent for a few moments staring at the teen skeptically as if looking for some clue to whatever mischievous plan the teen had in mind. "I suppose that would be fine." Vlad replied evenly although he still looked suspicious. "There will be some conditions mind you, if you wish to go out alone."

_Great, more rules_. Danny thought begrudgingly but managed to keep his smile in place. "Ok, and they are...?" The teen asked politely.

"First, you are not to go more than three miles from the cabin. If you wish to walk or even fly through the surrounding woods that's fine, but no farther than three miles in any direction. Understood?" Vlad's eyes narrowed, gaze growing stricter. Danny's smile only grew.

"Right. No more than five miles." Danny replied in a cheery voice.

"Daniel." Vlad growled warningly, eyes flashing red, clearly not amused.

"Relax! I'm only joking!" The teen said quickly throwing his hands up in retreat but his smile didn't falter. "Well, mostly anyway." He added causing Vlad to sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose as he shook his head. "Oh come on, what if I run into a ghost or something?" Vlad looked at him questioningly, quirking an eyebrow. "It could happen."

"Which brings me to rule 2." Vlad stated seriously. "If anything should happen during your walk _within the three mile radius_ you are to come straight back to the cabin. **No exceptions**."

"Ok, ok." Danny replied softly, giving in a little. "So stay near the cabin and run away if any ghosts or bears show up. Got it." The teen stood up from his chair. "Anything else?"

"Don't be out any longer than an hour. We may not do any more training for today but I'd still like to spend more than a few hours with you a day. We only have one week of _'quality time'_ together after all." Vlad smirked in that evil, "_you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into_" kind of way that made shivers run up Danny's spine. "I wouldn't want any of it to go to waste."

_Terrific, so I get one hour of freedom before I'm dragged back inside to snuggle up with Uncy Vlad in front of the fire for the rest of the day_. The thought made Danny's stomach turn. _Maybe if I'm lucky I will be eaten by a bear._

"Guess I'll be going then." The teen stated over his shoulder, practically sprinting to the door.

"One more thing Daniel." Vlad called after him, making the teen inwardly cringe.

"Yeah," Danny said unsurely turning around.

"I trust that even though I won't be with you you'll still keep your word on our agreement and that you won't try running off, or flying off in your case." Vlad's piercing gaze pinned Danny to the spot.

"Of course." Danny forced a smile. "We do have a deal after all." The teen's words sounded strained even to his own ears.

"Good." Vlad smiled picking up the dishes, turning his back on the teen to walk them over to the sink.

Seeing his chance to make a quick escape Danny slipped out of the kitchen and then out of the cabin entirely. Taking a deep breath of the crisp mountain air Danny tried to calm himself. There was no way he could try to leave now. Not after all that. Vlad would no doubt be keeping an eye on him somehow, and with the billionaire expecting him back in an hour it's not as if he would get very far before he was caught and forcibly brought back.

Not to mention how Vlad might punish him for going back on their deal. Danny shuddered.

No. He would just go for a walk like he said. He could try leaving tomorrow. Vlad would trust him more than anyway and in turn would give him more time to himself.

_Yeah, tomorrow_. Danny sighed contently. _Right after I kick Vlad's butt in training_. The teen smiled brightly, walking off the porch, starting his 'three mile radius' walk.

**YAY! Not bad for a first day right! I loved the scene with Danny and Vlad in the field! It was like a father and son playing catch together, but with a twist! But I'm sure you caught on to that.**

**And as usual Vlad still has his own ulterior motives for all this. Sneaky, sneaky fruitloop. And as you can see Danny is already getting a taste of the power Vlad is giving to him. And he's liking it... DUN, DUN, DUN! What will happen next!**

**Stay tuned to find out! Oh and... Please drop me a review. I need them to see what I'm doing right and how to improve. And I like reading that my readers enjoyed what I wrote. :-)**

**THA NK YOU~!**


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